British and Asian, or British Asian? Just celebrate the differences

to adjust in order to integrate themselves further.

On the other, the readiness to conform can lead to accusations among some from within our own community and outside it that we are betraying aspects of our heritage and culture.

This weekend’s BBC Two film Is West – a sequel to East is East – captures this dilemma very well.

This conflict isn’t something new. My parents’ generation who arrived in Birmingham as immigrants faced similar problems.

Females who wished to wear a skirt and blouse or wanted to embrace the pop culture of the 1960s and 1970s were frowned upon by socially conservative members.

Friends from outside the community were viewed with suspicion, and West the notion of marriage to someone other than one of our own was strictly prohibited.

Sticking as part of a close-knit community was seen as a way of preserving our sense of identity.

My generation has been much more fortunate in respect of the wider opportunities available to us.

I was one of the first in my family to go to university, and am able to access many professions which would not have been possible for the previous generation.

The paradox is that while many hurdles have been overcome to enable us to get into such a position, upward social mobility has placed us in situations where many feel the need to change in order to fit in.

These changes can include how we talk, our physical appearance, the extent to which we feel able to express ourselves on issues integral to our identity, such as faith.

The ability to balance different identities is something I’ve accepted as part of being British Asian.

It’s perfectly normal that in one context, the fact I’m aged 27 and still single would be widely regarded as being perfectly acceptable for someone my age, whilst others would be concerned that I’m getting on and should be married by now.

Or the fact that turning up an hour late to an event would be regarded as bad manners, but to do so as a guest at an Asian event (and still be one of the first to turn up) would be regarded as the norm.

It has been said often enough that the Indian subcontinent is as good a place as any to go to if you want to understand England and the English.

Our two histories and cultures are inexorably entwined. I think, however, that we should rejoice in the things that make us different as much as the things that make us alike. And there is nothing wrong in having half a cup of tea, as anyone who has seen East is East will tell you. Amil Khan is a Conservative activist

in the Midlands

We should rejoice in the things that make us different as much as the things that make us alike.